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VENTURES NEW #10

VENTURES NEW: We were now an class='highlight'>inan> our third year at the Hall and our lives were always busy keepan class='highlight'>inan>g on top of the weeds and general upkeep of the house.  My dad expected us children to help as much as possible, which we hated, and much of our time was spent tryan class='highlight'>inan>g to hide from him to get out of doan class='highlight'>inan>g the chores.  But sometimes we didn’t man class='highlight'>inan>d and we happily pulled an old trolley an class='highlight'>inan>to the woods every now and then to collect wood for the fires and sometimes as a family we would spend a day clearan class='highlight'>inan>g parts of the woods and grounds.  My mum had hired a lady from the village to help with the housework and we had also taken on a retired chap called Mr Hickman to do some...

The Graveyard Shift! #25

THE GRaVEYaRD SHIFT!       Life carried on at the Hall as best it could an class='highlight'>inan> difficult circumstances.  My dad contan class='highlight'>inan>ued to go to arms and armour Fairs to buy and sell antiques and we also went to a mediaeval banquet an class='highlight'>inan> Cheshire one night, although it wasn’t anywhere near as good as ours!  Once or twice we took my dad out with our friends to Derby, where he origan class='highlight'>inan>ated from, and that seemed to cheer him up.  But he really needed to get away from the house for longer periods of time and when he saw a boat advertised for sale at Caernarvon he jumped at the chance and bought it.  It was an ex lifeboat called The Bembo so quite sturdy, although an class='highlight'>inan> need of a li...

The tax man cometh! #29

THE TaX MaN COMETH:   My parents’ court case was fan class='highlight'>inan>ally over and my dad had six months to leave the house.  an class='highlight'>inan> the meantime my mum had to fan class='highlight'>inan>d the funds to buy him out and he had to fan class='highlight'>inan>d another house to live an class='highlight'>inan>.  He also had an awful lot of stuff to move too!  He eventually found a house an class='highlight'>inan> nearby Burton-on-Trent but as it was obviously a lot smaller he had to get rid of a lot of his possessions and one of the first than class='highlight'>inan>gs to go was his Lotus Elite.  He advertised it an class='highlight'>inan> the local paper but an class='highlight'>inan>stead of gettan class='highlight'>inan>g a phone call from a likely buyer, the first call was from the local tax office.  Back an class='highlight'>inan> those days they used to check advertisements an class='highlight'>inan> the news...

The Grand Openan class='highlight'>inan>g #5

THE GRaND OPENan class='highlight'>inan>G:       and so we move an class='highlight'>inan>to 1971 and the preparation of Hoar Cross Hall so we could open it to the public by Easter.  Duran class='highlight'>inan>g the run up to buyan class='highlight'>inan>g the house my dad had been buyan class='highlight'>inan>g furniture, carpets and paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>gs like  crazy and I remember our previous home bean class='highlight'>inan>g jam packed with chaise longues, sideboards and carved chests as well as all the suits of armour that he already had.  This furniture was now set out an class='highlight'>inan> all the rooms. My mum’s collection of Victorian costumes were on display an class='highlight'>inan> the Ballroom as well as my dad’s collection of silver plated ‘display’ armour, which hung around the panelled walls; the suits of armour and the ma...

The graveyard shift #24

THE GRaVEYaRD SHIFT:    Life carried on at Hoar Cross Hall as best it could an class='highlight'>inan> difficult circumstances.  My dad contan class='highlight'>inan>ued to go to arms and armour Fairs to buy and sell antiques and we also went to a mediaeval banquet an class='highlight'>inan> Cheshire one night, although it wasn’t anywhere near as good as ours!  Once or twice we took my dad out with our friends to Derby, where he origan class='highlight'>inan>ated from, and that seemed to cheer him up.  But he really needed to get away from the house for longer periods of time and when he saw a boat advertised for sale at Caernarvon he jumped at the chance and bought it.  It was an ex lifeboat called The Bembo so quite sturdy, although an class='highlight'>inan> need of a...

alice - the ghost an class='highlight'>inan> the mirror #38

aLICE – THE GHOST an class='highlight'>inan> THE MIRROR:       Whilst researchan class='highlight'>inan>g the history of my former home, Hoar Cross Hall, I came across this fascan class='highlight'>inan>atan class='highlight'>inan>g story from author Graham Phillips who had visited the Hall to do some research an class='highlight'>inan>to the story of alice and the mirror that an class='highlight'>inan>spired Lewis Carroll. as many of my regular readers will know, Hoar Cross Hall is a very haunted house and so it was an class='highlight'>inan>credibly an class='highlight'>inan>terestan class='highlight'>inan>g to hear another theory on the ghost of the little girl who haunts the rooms and corridors. an class='highlight'>inan> 1865 Lewis Carroll wrote another story about alice followan class='highlight'>inan>g on from ‘alice an class='highlight'>inan> Wonderland’. It was called ‘alice through the Lookan class='highlight'>inan>g Glass’. an class='highlight'>inan> this story alic...